I went grocery shopping today like I do every Monday. As I was walking around the store I noticed 2 women shopping together. I always like to see what people buy at the store. I think what you have in your grocery cart tells a lot about you. My cart would say I go shopping once a week, I have boys who like cereal and drink a lot of milk, who love apples and cheese. My cart says I like to cook and I cook dinner almost every night for my family. So I look in the cart of these two women and I see things like Raman noodles (I think the last time I bought those I was in college), 4 bottles of ketchup, some cereal, a carton of juice, a half gallon of milk (seriously, that's all the milk you needed?). Then one girl says to the other, "I can't wait to see how much you spend. And you'll have to take a picture and put it on your blog." So it made sense. They were shopping with coupons, trying to save more than they spend. And that's all good. I think it's great that women take the time to go to different stores, to buy just what's on sale and just what they have coupons for, to save a ton of money. But I just don't like doing that. I like buying what I want to buy when I want to buy it. I don't go crazy. I'm not a crazy shopper who spends tons of money. But I do have a family I need to feed and I think I do a pretty good job. I've seen the pictures where people will show what they bought at the store and then say they spent $10 but saved $50. Woo Hoo!! That's great. But I always look at those pictures and think, "But what are you possibly going to make for dinner with that?" Who knows, maybe they have a freezer in the garage full of stuff, a pantry overflowing with food storage. But so do I. I just think if you're going to take a picture of your groceries then you also have to share what you're cooking for dinner that week. Because I'm curious. So here's my stuff and my dinner menu for the week (and yes, this is all I need for a the week, I will not be going to another store this week for anything else, because I've got it all here.)
Items bought - 74 (including non-food items like deodorant & diapers)
Amount Spent - $125.84 (each week I spend between $100 and $130 on everything. Sometimes I will go to Target for household items, but I usually just go to Smiths and get it all)
Amount saved - $30.51 (from using my Fresh Values card, no coupons!)
What I'll make for dinner this week - mac and cheese (homemade, not the box) with roasted broccoli and fruit; Cranberry Chicken with rice and green beans and chocolate cobbler for dessert (yes, I said chocolate cobbler); shredded pork tacos with black bean salsa and Spanish rice; breakfast burritos (I try and do breakfast for dinner once a week); meatloaf with mashed potatoes, rolls, gravy and some kind of veggie.
4 comments:
We are SO on the same page! I don't like or have the time to spend on coupons! I usually go to Wal-Mart, but just today I went to Smith's to see how much I could save. I don't usually shop there, but I am kind of getting sick of Wal-Mart!
I have also seen the blogs where they have the 10 tubes of tooth paste.... but the thing is, they have 10 tubes of tooth past on their blog EVERY WEEK! HOW MANY DO YOU NEED???? lol:-)
Well I tried the coupon thing and while I was able to save money on things I would normally buy, it was a pain in my butt!! I didn't stick to it for very long because I just don't have the space to store that many of one item!!! :) I spend about the same as you in a week (maybe a little less) depending on my budget and I too have wondered what meals people are making with what they buy. I think it is fun to here what families have as their "staples"! Great post!! :)
OK, little Miss Chef. I'd like the recipe to the shredded pork tacos and the cranberry chicken. They sound tasty, and hopefully pretty simple to make. I wish I could be like you and have a menu for the week. I am absolutely terrible about it. I'm good if I can go the day before knowing what I'm going to make. I really want to be more like you.
i agree.. wish i was better but i feel like most coupons are for things i don't use..like pantene shampoo..sorry i'm too cheap even with the coupon..i stick with suave..*S*
i try to shop for a 2 week menu with just an additional trip for milk,bread,produce..
it is hard though and time consuming enough without keeping coupons and stuff straight.
i would love your cranberry chicken recipie if you are willing to share..
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